Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is now a betting favorite at MVP in the NBA or the second favorite at most bookmakers, thanks to the unexpected commitment to the regular season to lead the Lakers to the best record in the league.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook was the first operator to place James as the favorite, posting odds of 4-1 on Monday night after the 36-year-old led the Lakers to a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. James finished with 46 points at 19-26 in the draw, including 7-11 on 3-point territory.
“People need to be more scared of what they do as they get older. I think this has to play into the minds of some voters. I think that could influence some people who didn’t vote for it last year,” he said. NBA SuperBook Director Jeff Sherman at ESPN.
James started the season in the top six favorites, even reaching 14-1 odds. However, despite a brief change from the NBA Finals in October to the opening night of this season, James played each game averaging 25.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
“The expectation was that he would waste some time, take it easy and prepare for the playoffs. Without doing so, he changed the chances,” Sherman said. “Anthony Davis wasted time and went through moves and underperformed. This helped the LeBron case.”
Currently, William Hill scores James (3-1) as the second head behind Luka Doncic (+280).
“He’s old, so people support him, believing his body will stay around,” William Hill commercial director Nick Bogdanovich told ESPN, also sharing that the house could lose if James wins in the followed by the award.
Four times the MVP has not won the award in 2013. He finished second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo last year, James Harden in 2018 and Kevin Durant in 2014. If James wins again, he will become the oldest MVP in the league. and will be joined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5) and Bill Russell (5) as the only players in League history to have won at least five MVPs.
Doncic started this season as a favorite of bookmakers and remained close to the top in all bookmakers. Kevin Durant (7-1), Joel Embiid (8-1) and Nikola Jokic (8-1) became a bigger part of the race. Giannis (9-1) is still among the leaders, but it will probably take a historic season for the MVP to repeat twice for the third time.
“Giannis almost leaves the conversation. The Bucks are doing less than expected. There’s election fatigue and people can’t help but remember the playoffs,” Sherman said, referring to Milwaukee’s inability to complete the NBA Finals. despite the fact that each of the last two years is in the top seed.
Voters are members of the press, who are essentially left to decide their own interpretation of the award. Discussions often involve criteria focused on the player with the most impressive season or who is literally the most valuable to his team.
“Obviously, if you eliminate LeBron from the Lakers, they are a different team, but they could withstand a few stretches. But if you eliminate Luka [Doncic] among the Mavericks, it would be a very bad team, “Sherman said.
The Lakers are currently 14-4, while the Mavs are 8-9. Embiid’s 76ers holds the top spot in the east right now, with a 12-6 record.